


How to Survive a Game Called Hunger

by animatedrose



Category: Wreck-It Ralph (Movies)
Genre: Blood, Candy, Cybrid, Deceit, Drooling, Gen, Glitches, King Candy wasn't real, Lemonce is MVP, Lone Survivor, Near Drowning, OCs Included, Revenge, Sneezing, Trapped, Turbo can meme, Turbo is having too much fun, Voice Mimicry, already been chewed gum, ambushes, backtalking, candy cane forest, catchphrase stealing, descriptions of being eaten alive, don't swallow burning candles, edible clothes, failed protecting, failed rescues, from my old fanfiction.net account, fruit roll-ups, getting tarred and feathered but with sugar, glitch bug eating racers, gum webs, jell-o swamp, laffy taffy, loogies, nesquik sand, nothing gory, old, pessimism, pitfall traps, poor nougetsia, posing, recolors can be hot too, snacks for later, sour tastes, survival guide style thing, trapped in Sugar Rush, trapped in a pit, trickery, unlikely to be continued
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-01
Updated: 2020-07-01
Packaged: 2021-03-05 04:09:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 10
Words: 15,898
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25018288
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/animatedrose/pseuds/animatedrose
Summary: Turbo is back and he's hungry for some traitorous sweets-themed racers! Stuck in the candy cane forest with no way out and a hungry cybrid on your tail, you have to be able to survive. Good thing you have Pepper Swirlminta's handy-dandy survival guide on you! Whether you'll actually survive, though... No guarantees, sorry.OCs were submitted from fanfiction.net
Comments: 1
Kudos: 8





	1. Sweet-Tasting Glitch

**Author's Note:**

> Pepper Swirlminta belongs to me. No stealing!

Sugar Rush looked relatively normal today. The candy people ran about happily. The castle shone in all its pink—excuse me, _salmon_ —glory. There was no sign of trouble.

There was just one problem. Well, two if you really thought about it.

One, there wasn’t a hint of sound coming from any of the sugary racetracks that dotted the landscape of Sugar Rush. Considering it was after arcade hours though, you could easily ignore that.

Two, the candy cane forest was strangely inaccessible. Not because of glitches, mind you. Strange spikes of rock candy and candy cane had erupted from the chocolate earth, completely surrounding the red and white-striped forest. Nobody could get into it. Where they came from, nobody was sure.

All that the residents knew…was that there was a lot of noise coming from behind those spikes.

.o.o.o.o.

That’s where our story begins.

You see, turns out Turbo didn’t really die in Diet Cola Mountain. He regenerated. And _boy_ , was he unhappy!

Too bad none of us realized he was alive until it was too late.

It was after arcade hours when Vanellope issued a little dare to the rest of us—run through candy cane forest. The first to get back to Royal Raceway without getting lost was the winner. The winner got a huge bag of lollipops.

Keep in mind how big candy cane forest is. Most of Sugar Rush has smaller pockets of said forest spread out between the racetracks. The one Vanellope wanted us to run through was the _main_ candy cane forest. The giant one located just between Royal Raceway and the junkyard.

Also, keep in mind that Vanellope practically _lived there_ during the time our memories were locked away by Turbo. She knew every inch of that place.

Pretty much, we were all screwed. But, eager for a challenge—and for free pre-picked lollipops—we all accepted the dare. After arcade hours, we met there and began our run.

Then the spikes tore up the ground all around candy cane forest, trapping us inside.

Now, before you say it, Vanellope tried to glitch past them. She crashed into an invisible wall. It was kind of funny…at first.

Then Turbo showed up in all his monstrous cybrid glory.

We all knew we were screwed right then and there.

…Only, it turns out we weren’t.

“We’re gonna play a little game, okay? You run around like you always do. If you can escape me, you win. If I catch you…”

The next words are my reason for recording all of this.

“…You’re food.”

Yep, you heard it right. Food. Turbo planned to eat us. I guess since he’s now a cybrid, candy isn’t enough to satisfy his palette. He’s moved onto live prey. And what better prey than the same brats he once ruled over. Add in Vanellope, the one who ruined his plans, and you’ve got _quite_ the sugary meal plan.

“Now then, all of you are going to end up as food. But I have a special reward for whoever is the last one standing at the end of this little game of mine. A _very_ special reward.”

I didn’t like the sound of that. He said “reward” like it was something he’d happily bestow on someone. For all we knew, there might not even _be_ a reward. But hope spread like wildfire, so winning took over our minds.

“Of course, let’s start this game off with a bang!”

Our hope was shattered when Turbo suddenly snatched up Vanellope, dangling her over his fanged mouth. Somebody was screaming. We all watched in horror, not believing this was actually going to happen.

“Princesses first! Oh, wait. You’re a president now, right? Not like it actually matters or anything...”

There was no time to glitch. No time to scream or beg or cry. No time to appeal to his better nature, if such a thing existed.

Just a quick drop into a slow and agonizing death via digestion.

Turbo grinned, licking his lips. “Who’d know glitches actually tasted good?” he chuckled. Then he turned on us. “I suggest you run, brats. Before I decide I’m still hungry.”

We scattered like mice, screaming and running for our lives. Vanellope, our president, was dead! And we were all going to die, too!

It wasn’t until later that I’d remember we’d simply regenerate. Seeing as none of us ever saw Vanellope in the candy cane forest again, I have to assume she regenerated outside of the spikes. Hopefully she’ll be smart enough to get Ralph and Sgt. Calhoun before we all die…

So that’s how our story begins. We’re all stuck in the candy cane forest, on the run from a mutant cy-bug monster who wants to eat us. Vanellope is gone. There’s no hope except to try and survive.

So I, Pepper Swirlminta, have decided to keep a record of how to survive in such a situation. Stupid thing to do, probably, but it kills time for me. Besides, I might get lucky enough to win this crazy game. And we might need this guide someday if Turbo regenerates again and decides to play another sick game like this with us.

The first rule is simple.

**Rules of Survival #1: Don’t be the one who ruined his plans in the past.**

I wonder how far into this game I’ll get. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see…

This is Pepper Swirlminta, signing off!


	2. Victims 2 and 3: Bring a Friend to Dinner

In order to have a proper survival guide, I’ll need plenty of life-saving rules for you to follow. Too bad I couldn’t come up with any on my own. Nope! So I did the next best thing I could to acquire such rules.

I slunk around after other racers I came across and waited for them to slip up somehow.

Cruel? Yes. Effective? Totally.

Now that I remembered we wouldn’t actually die—or _hoped_ , since we hadn’t heard Vanellope shouting over the spikes or anything—I decided a few risks were in order. The name of this game was survival. Luckily, this was a place where you regenerated if you died. Though I was still playing it safe.

We _did_ have a hungry cybrid hunting us, after all.

My first subject of… Let’s face it, I’m pretty much stalking! The first one I decided to follow was Candlehead. Cy-bugs seem to be attracted to light since they literally fly to their deaths via the beacon. Candlehead has a flame on her hat. I had to guess that she’d be the first victim.

.o.o.o.o.

_Why am I all alone? Where are Taffyta and Rancis? Why is this happening? WHY DID VANELLOPE HAVE TO DIE FIRST?!!_

Candlehead was fighting back tears as she wandered between the candy cane trees. She was all by herself with only her flaming hat for company and comfort. When everyone had scattered, Taffyta and Rancis had left her behind.

“Why me?” she sniffled, scrubbing tears from her eyes.

It had only been ten, fifteen minutes tops, since Vanellope had been eaten and Turbo told them to run. The cybrid could be _anywhere_ in the forest. That left Candlehead a jittery, sobbing wreck from terror.

It only got worse when she walked right into Turbo…

He was hanging upside down from a thick branch in one of the trees, insect legs curled around it tightly to keep his weight supported. His long neck stretched to the ground, leaving him grinning like the Cheshire Cat upside-down at ground level. That grin only got bigger and more savage when Candlehead quite literally bumped noses with him.

“Boo,” he greeted.

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!” Candlehead screamed.

Turbo lashed out with a clawed hand, slamming it into the ground in front of him. The jagged points caught on her coat, tearing the fabric and leaving shallow cuts on the skin beneath. Spurred by the scent of blood, Turbo lashed out with his other hand and nicked her left shoulder and cheek.

Candlehead turned tail and fled before he got the chance to strike a third time.

Not that he was in a hurry. Vanellope was still stewing away in his stomach. He could afford to wait a few more minutes before eating another sugary-sweet brat.

After all, there was _plenty_ to eat…

.o.o.o.o.

“Help! Somebody, help me!” Candlehead shrieked as she dashed deeper into the sugary thicket. “Rancis! Taffyta! Anyone! Help me, please!”

She abruptly crashed into someone, resulting in a pair of high-pitched screams.

“Holy _heath_ , Candlehead! Scream any _louder_ , why don’t you?”

It was Taffyta.

“Taffyta! I found you!” Candlehead wailed, catching the other in a crushing hug. “I was so scared! You guys were gone and then Turbo found me and he hurt me and-and… I was _so_ scared!”

Taffyta looked disgusted, pawing at Candlehead’s shoulders. “Yuck! You’re getting tears and snot _all over_ my jacket! Get off!”

“But I—”

“Aw, how nice! I get a two-for-one meal! How turbo-tastic of me, huh?”

Candlehead and Taffyta were suddenly hoisted off the ground by the collars of their jackets, caught between the clawed fingers of Turbo. The cybrid grinned, long tongue running over his yellow teeth. He eyed the pair hungrily.

“Thank you very much for leading me to more food, Candlehead, dear. Such a cooperative little brat, you are,” Turbo praised teasingly.

“Please don’t eat us!” Candlehead begged.

“But I’m oh so hungry, dear!” Turbo replied with a grin. “And I can’t honestly deny myself a chance to have birthday cake.”

He shifted his left hand, dangling Candlehead tantalizingly over his mouth. The green-haired girl screamed, reaching hands behind her to try and latch onto his clawed fingers. It did her no good. All she did was cut her hands up on the sharp points of said fingers.

He let go, the child screaming as she fell into his mouth. He snapped his jaws shut, tilting his head back to swallow…only to rear back, coughing up smoke. He swallowed again, eyes watering slightly.

“Ugh! Should’ve blown the candle out first,” Turbo grumbled, rubbing his long neck with his free hand. “My bad…”

“Sir, please! You can’t eat me! I’m your favorite!” Taffyta begged.

“You were _King Candy’s_ favorite,” Turbo corrected, wagging a large finger in her face. “And I’m not King Candy anymore. I’m Turbo and I only have one favorite. That’s _me_.”

Once he was through massaging his burnt throat, he tilted his head back and dangled Taffyta over his mouth.

“First I had a vanilla glitch and now I’ve had some yummy birthday cake. How about I wash it down with some taffy?” Turbo chuckled.

“No! Please don’t! I’ll do whatever you’ll say, honest!” Taffyta pleaded.

Turbo blinked up at her curiously. “ _Anything_?”

“Anything!” Taffyta nodded, mascara falling down her cheeks in rivers with her tears.

The cybrid straightened, smirking. “Good! I like loyal followers.”

“Thank you, sir! Thank you!” Taffyta sobbed.

“You might not want to thank me, sweetie,” Turbo crooned, a cruel smirk crossing his lips. “You did say you’d do _anything_. So, to copy a strange internet meme I came across in Game Central Station during my rule as King Candy…”

Taffyta stared at him in confusion.

Turbo grinned. “…Get in my belly!”

“Wha…? No!” Taffyta suddenly screamed, realizing what was about to happen.

Swinging his hand back, the cybrid tossed Taffyta forward. She fell into his mouth in a way all too similar to how people toss gumballs into their mouths. Turbo swallowed, a pleased grin crossing his face.

“Oh, that felt good. Soothed the burn from that candle, at least,” he said, licking his lips. “Mmmm! Strawberry…”

.o.o.o.o.

I watched the entirety of that scene. For a moment, I honestly thought he was going to let Taffyta go. Goes to show what we thought we knew about King Candy…

I, of course, found a new rule from this two-for-one meal.

**Rules of Survival #2: If you see an injured person running toward you, screaming for help, run the other way. Chances are that they’re being followed by our resident predator.**

Cruel? Yes. Life-saving? Most definitely.

Well, I’m two racers closer to being the last survivor. I’m still curious about that reward. I really hope it’s not something horrible, like a permanent death. That would really suck…

This is Pepper Swirlminta, signing off!


	3. Victim 4: Taffy of Doom

My next subject for…stalking, I guess is the proper term, was Swizzle “The Swizz” Malarkey. Mr. Pretty Boy with the crush on one of Minty’s recolor racers, Sticky. Why he went for a recolor instead of Minty herself, I doubt we’ll ever know.

Not that relationships mattered much here. The chances of Swizzle coming across Sticky in here were pretty slim.

The chances of coming across Turbo, though…

.o.o.o.o.

Swizzle had taken off at a dead run after Vanellope was eaten. The thought of Turbo being back scared the tootsie rolls out of him. If he had been thinking straight, he might’ve sought out Sticky and tried to protect her.

But he didn’t. Now he was somewhere in the candy cane forest… _all alone_.

“Hello?” Swizzle dared to call. “Sticky? Anyone?”

There was no reply.

_Please be okay, Sticky. Please…_ Swizzle prayed.

A loud crunch of candy cane behind him sent the green-haired boy into a panic. He bolted, running as fast as his legs could carry him. Branches of candy cane, bushes of candy floss, and rock candy stones brought various scratches, scrapes, and bruises to his person. Swizzle couldn’t bring himself to care.

He wanted to live!

Jumping through another candy floss bush, Swizzle nearly face-planted when his feet got stuck in something. Picking himself up, he struggled to move. If anything, his feet sunk _deeper_ into the ground. He kept up his struggling until he was up to his knees in the stuff.

Then he looked down and cried out in terror.

He was stuck in a pool of Nesquik-Sand. And he was sinking deeper into it with every passing second.

“Help! Someone help me! Please!” Swizzle shouted, clawing at the powdery brown surface in the hopes of digging himself out.

No such luck.

A round of giggles sounded from above him. Swizzle twisted around, looking up. Surrounding the Nesquik-Sand pit were a trio of Laffy Taffy trees. The long bodies of the laughing purple taffy were wound around the branches, looking down at him.

“Laffy Taffy! Perfect!” Swizzle cried, raising his arms up. “Come here, Laffy Taffy! Be good taffy and get me out, okay?”

Some of the taffy slid down from their perches, giggling. Swizzle reached up to grab one, only for it to suddenly pull back. This happened multiple times before Swizzle realized what was wrong.

The taffy wasn’t trying to help him. They were _playing_ with him because it was funny. They liked seeing him fight and squirm and call for help. It was funny to them. It made them laugh.

By the time that realization had come, Swizzle was up to his armpits in Nesquik-Sand. It was quickly dragging him down, flowing over his shoulders. His arms were getting tired from being held up.

_I’m never getting out of here,_ he realized. _I’m never seeing Sticky again. I’m never racing again. I’m going to die here, drowning in Nesquik-Sand. At least Turbo hasn’t found me…_

That’s when Swizzle realized something.

The Laffy Taffy were no longer laughing.

Swizzle looked forward and found a lone length of pink taffy dangling in front of him. Amazed by his luck but doubtful that he was _this_ lucky, he hesitantly reached out to grab it. He expected it to pull away and laugh at him, like all the rest did.

He grabbed it. It didn’t flee. It just dangled there, waiting for him to get a good grip on it.

“Oh, thank mod,” he whispered, hugging the length of taffy.

With a swift yank, the green-haired racer was pulled free of the Nesquik-Sand’s grip. He laughed giddily, happily kissing the taffy that had saved his life…and pulled away, gagging in disgust.

The taffy was coated in slime!

“Ugh! Gross!” he whined. “Put me down! I’m out, so you don’t need to hold me up anymore!”

“All right then. Going down, it is!”

Swizzle froze upon hearing that voice. It was Turbo. And it sounded so very close. As if he was right beside Swizzle.

…Or below him…

Swizzle looked down and screamed. Turbo’s face was right there, mouth wide open. Worst of all, it wasn’t taffy he was holding onto. It was the cybrid’s serpentine tongue!

“Ugh! I kissed your slimy tongue!” Swizzle cried.

“Well, good thing you’ll be getting well acquainted with my tongue in a moment,” Turbo said, grinning. “I think some lollipops sound like a good snack right about now.”

“No! Wait, please don’t!” Swizzle wailed.

Turbo tossed his head back. Swizzle was thrown off his tongue, flung up into the air. Then the cybrid lunged forward, teeth snapping shut around the racer. He was trapped in Turbo’s mouth!

He banged briefly on the inside of those razor-sharp yellow teeth before finding himself pulled away from them. Turbo’s tongue merrily flipped Swizzle around, shoving him down the monster’s throat. Swizzle clawed at the slimy organ desperately, sliding deeper into the dark gullet. The same appendage that had rescued him from the Nesquik-Sand was now sending him to his death via digestion.

“NOOOOOOOO!!!” Swizzle screamed, losing his grip and falling down the cybrid’s throat.

Turbo licked his lips, obviously pleased. “I knew lollipops were a good choice. They go perfectly with taffy!”

.o.o.o.o.

I felt pretty bad for Swizzle. He escaped death once, only to be sent to death again within seconds of his first escape. Laffy Taffy is already untrustworthy as is. No need for Turbo to make that reputation worse by having his _tongue_ pose as taffy!

**Rules of Survival #3: Never trust suspicious or slimy-looking pink taffy, Laffy Taffy or otherwise, especially if you’re trapped in Nesquik-Sand.**

Four racers down. A dozen or so more to go before Turbo unveils this mystery prize of his. I seriously hope it’s nothing deadly…

This is Pepper Swirlminta, signing off!


	4. Victim 5: Pit of Candy Barf

The next person I followed was…

Okay, correction! The next _people_ I followed were three of the recolor racers. Nougetsia Brumblestain, Adorabeezle Winterpop’s pink recolor, and Minty Zaki’s two recolor racers—Sticky Wipplesnit, the turquoise recolor, and Torvald Batterbutter, the orange recolor.

It wasn’t uncommon to find the recolor racers hanging out together. Nougetsia and Sticky usually hung out…whenever Sticky _wasn't_ off with Swizzle. Torvald hung around Nougetsia just as often out of sheer boredom. Citrusella Flugpucker, the purple recolor of Jubileena Bing-Bing, was usually found in Nougetsia and Sticky’s company whenever Torvald wasn’t present. With the exception of Sticky, the recolor racers seemed to keep their distance from the others, _especially_ the ones they are a recolor of.

Anyhow, back to my survival guide making!

It wasn’t shocking to find three of the recolor racers together. Even panicking, they stuck together like melted sugar. You were safer in a group, after all.

…Or you _would_ be, if the monster cybrid hunting you didn't mind downing a few racers at a time…

.o.o.o.o.

“Oh, I hope Swizzle’s okay,” Sticky whimpered.

“How could this have happened? Didn’t Turbo die in Diet Cola Mountain?” Torvald demanded, glaring and kicking at the ground.

“I don’t know,” Nougetsia admitted, looking around nervously. “Look, we have to be careful. Keep your eyes peeled. We don’t want him sneaking up on us, after all.”

“Well, _duh_! If we let him do that, we’ll be eaten for sure!” Torvald deadpanned, glaring at the pink recolor. “Just like our glorious president!”

“Torvald, that’s enough! We don’t need your attitude right now!” Nougetsia said warningly.

“Well, why don’t you make me stop?” Torvald challenged, coming to a stop with arms folded over her chest.

“Torvald, don’t do this. We don’t have time,” Nougetsia reminded through grit teeth, trying not to get angry.

“Vanellope couldn’t escape from him! What makes you think we can? Huh?” Torvald barked.

“We’re gonna die!” Sticky wailed, beginning to bawl.

“Knock it off, Torvald! You’re making everything worse!” Nougetsia ordered, kneeling down beside the crying turquoise recolor. “It’s okay, Sticky. We’ll find Swizzle and get out of here—all of us—together.”

“Hard to do that when Vanellope’s already dead,” Torvald reminded.

Nougetsia glared at her, hugging the bawling Sticky close. “You're _not_ helping,” she growled.

“Well, maybe I don’t _want_ to help! I told you this dare was stupid!” Torvald shouted, stomping her foot. “We could’ve picked our own lollipops! But _noooooooo_! You wanted to race for free ones!”

“I wanted to be part of the group, Torvald. So did you, apparently. Why else would you be here?” Nougetsia questioned harshly.

“Because it was either join this stupid dare or sit around at home and wait for you to get back!” Torvald snapped, glaring angrily at the pink recolor.

“Well, maybe we didn’t want you here anywa—”

A loud crack of candy cane branches breaking caused them both to fall silent. Nougetsia pulled herself to her feet, dragging a sobbing Sticky with her. Torvald scampered closer to them, looking around fearfully.

There was nothing there…

“I hate this game,” Torvald declared, shivering. “Let’s get out of here, okay? I want to go home!”

“We will,” Nougetsia promised, grabbing the orange recolor’s hand.

Torvald practically crushed her hand with her grip alone. Their hands were sweaty, proof of their fear. As one, the trio began to back up…

Hot air gushed against Nougetsia’s back, easily penetrating through her thick pink jacket and fluffy earflap winter hat. Sticky whimpered, feeling the hot air as well. Torvald’s bow was nearly blown off by the rush of air, crinkling loudly. All three racers froze, terrified.

“…Boo.”

Torvald took off like a shot, screaming as she ran into the candy cane trees. Nougetsia followed quickly afterward, half-dragging and half-carrying Sticky with her. Torvald, realizing why the pink recolor couldn’t keep up, slowed down and flung Sticky’s other arm over her shoulder to speed them up. The trio bolted through the sugary thicket, just barely staying ahead of the crashing behind them as Turbo broke branches and even whole candy cane trees to catch up with them.

Then it was over. The crashing ended. Turbo was gone…

“Where did he go?” Torvald yelped, dropping Sticky’s arm and looking around wildly. “He almost _had us_! Why did he stop?”

“Maybe he found easier prey?” Nougetsia suggested, gasping for breath.

“Swizzle! Where _are_ you?” Sticky whined, sobbing loudly against Nougetsia’s jacket.

“Shut up, Sticky! That bug will hear you!” Torvald hissed, glaring at the turquoise recolor.

There was nothing to see or hear. Turbo was nowhere to be found. That was good…but also bad.

“Let’s keep moving,” Nougetsia said, pulling Sticky upright. “Turbo might be gone now, but let’s not test fate by waiting around to see if he comes back.”

“Good idea,” Torvald muttered, backing up toward the other two. “I’m not all that interested in saying ‘hi’ to him again.”

“You and me both,” Nougetsia nodded, pulling Sticky along. “Sticky, can you please walk on your own two fe—EEEEEEEEKKKKK!”

Torvald whipped around in time to see the ground cave in beneath Nougetsia and Sticky, sending them plunging into the darkness below. No, wait! It didn’t cave in. The ground…tore?

 _Is that…cotton candy on the ground?_ Torvald wondered.

“Torvald! What happened?” Nougetsia called from the pit.

The orange recolor hesitantly edged toward the tear, feeling her way along to ensure she was still on solid ground. Yep, this whole pathway was covered in cotton candy to cover up the pit. Torvald had never heard of such things being in the candy cane forest.

 _Did Turbo dig this himself?_ Torvald thought. “You guys fell in a pit! The ground was covered in cotton candy to cover it up. I guess it tore when you and Sticky walked on it.”

“Don’t get too close! You’ll fall in, too!” Nougetsia warned. “…Ugh! Is this melted sugar? I can't move my feet!”

“Swizzle! Help us!” Sticky wailed. “I don’t wanna die yet!”

“Shut up, Sticky!” Torvald shouted, fear and anger getting the better of her. “I… Look! I’ll find some licorice rope and bring it back here. Maybe I can pull you out!”

“Forget it! This melted sugar is like concrete!” Nougetsia argued, looking up at the pit’s top to see Torvald looking down at her. “Just go, okay? Get out of here before Turbo comes back!”

“No way! I'm not leaving you!” Torvald yelled. “I’ll get you out! Just you wa—”

She was interrupted by a dark laugh. A huge burst of hot air hit her from behind, nearly throwing Torvald straight into the pit. Nougetsia froze, staring up at her in terror. Sticky ceased crying, too scared to make a peep. Torvald realized who was behind her.

Turbo was back.

“Awww! Look at that! Looks like my pitfall trap worked,” the cybrid chuckled, rearing back up from his previously crouched position. “Turbo-tastic! Less running around for me to do. Not that I couldn’t use the exercise, what with all the sugar I’m eating lately.”

“Torvald! Run!” Nougetsia cried.

Torvald darted left, only for a huge hand to block her way. She headed right, only to encounter his other hand. Turbo lowered his head, boxing the orange recolor in. Claws on her left and right, a toothy mouth in front of her, and a pit of sugar behind her. Not many options to pick from…

She turned, hoping she could somehow jump the pit and get to safety. A pair of claws caught the collar of her jacket mid-leap, though. Torvald yelped, struggling instantly as she was held up over Turbo’s face.

“I think I’m in the mood for butterscotch caramel candy right about now,” Turbo commented. “Those might help wash down the taste of lollipops.”

“SWIZZLE!” Sticky screamed, realizing what the cybrid had done.

Turbo leaned over the pit, looking surprised. “Well, look at that! I have two more snacks to choose from!” he said. “Let’s see… Butterscotch caramel? Frozen fruit yogurt? Or more taffy?”

“No!” Nougetsia cried, hands over her mouth in shock. _He already got Taffyta?!_

“Hmmmm… So many choices!” Turbo complained lightly. “But…I think I’ll stick with butterscotch caramel. I already had taffy and frozen fruit yogurt seems like it should be one of the last things I eat. I guess you two are lucky. Stick around, okay?”

“Not like we have a _choice_!” Nougetsia growled, clawing uselessly at the melted sugar that managed to encase her feet.

“You _always_ have a choice! You could’ve chosen not to betray me. Or chosen not to come here,” Turbo corrected, wagging a finger playfully. “But you made those choices and all choices have consequences. This is the consequence for those two choices. Honestly, I’m amazed I managed to trap _all_ of you brats in here!”

“Please don’t eat me! I taste awful!” Torvald pleaded.

“Oh, but on the contrary—” Turbo proceeded to lick the orange recolor, resulting in a loud cry of disgust from said racer. “—I find butterscotch caramel candy to be _delicious_!”

“Is there any candy you _won’t_ eat?” Nougetsia demanded, glaring up at him from the pit.

“Huh?” Turbo looked down at her. “Uh… Not that I can come up with. Ask me again later when I’ve eaten more racers and I _might_ have a proper answer for you. Now then…”

He dangled Torvald over his mouth, giving the uppity brat another lick for good measure. She kept crying out in disgust. He couldn’t help but enjoy that. Sadly, his fun had to end.

He had more hunting to do, after all.

Torvald got no warning before the claws released her jacket collar. The orange recolor screamed as she plunged into his cavernous jaws. Turbo made sure to stay within view of the pit so that Nougetsia and Sticky got a front-row seat to their eventual fate.

Sticky began to bawl again, crying Swizzle’s name. Nougetsia hugged her as best she could, glaring up at the cybrid. Turbo swallowed, licking his lips in satisfaction before sending a grin down at the pair.

“I’ll be back to snack on _you two_ at a later time,” he said, plucking cotton candy from nearby bushes to cover up the tear. “So be good and stick around, yeah? Invite a few friends down to visit, if you can. The more, the merrier. Right?”

All Nougetsia did was glare at him.

Once the hole was repaired, Turbo headed back through the forest. The heavy scent of sugar was in his nose and he had already picked out his next target. Now to find it and catch it…

.o.o.o.o.

I feel kind of bad for Nougetsia and Sticky, stuck down in that pit of Candy Barf. In case you don’t know what that is, it’s melted sugar covered in lots and lots of gummy food items, smarties, candy rocks, gummy blocks covered in powdered sugar, chocolate chunks, and an assortment of other sugary things.

Looks like Nougetsia and Sticky will be added to the menu later…

At least I know about that pit now. Hopefully there aren’t more scattered about. At least I’ve got another easy rule to follow.

**Rules of Survival #4: Cotton Candy on the ground means there’s a Candy Barf pit in the area. Exercise extreme caution.**

We’ll likely see Nougetsia and Sticky later. Unless Turbo forgets about them. Which he might do since there are so many of us running around.

I wonder how many of us it’ll take before he’s full…

This is Pepper Swirlminta, signing off!


	5. Victim 6: Drowning in Jell-O

The next subject in my hunt for survival rules is Minty Zaki, the racer with the most recolor racers. She’s also quite infamous for doing a long-lasting jump while screaming if you scare her. It’s quite the funny sight to see.

Sticky and Torvald only hold small fragments of Minty’s personality. Beyond that, they’re their own individual racers. Minty doesn’t treat them special or anything. Sometimes, I really wonder if Minty even acknowledges her two recolors. I know Jubileena does for hers. And Adorabeezle…

Unfortunately, Minty seems to have the same amount of bad luck as her two recolors…

…and _then some_ , I think.

.o.o.o.o.

_Why, oh why, did I end up in this place? Of all the places to end up in the candy cane forest and I wind up here! How?_ Minty thought.

Minty had ended up running smack-dab into the center of some of the worst terrain in all of Sugar Rush.

The Jell-O Swamp…

A huge area of squishy cake ground, massive pools of green jell-o, and treacherous patches of melted sugar that could leave you stranded in it for days. It was generally advised that one avoid the Jell-O Swamp unless one was either an experienced candy cane tree climber or one was in a large group. Whole karts could be found of the sweet-smelling swamp, victims of unfortunate crashes that forced unlucky racers to quickly bail or get caught in the melted sugar patches…or drown in deep pools of jell-o.

Yes, you heard that right.

Racers could accidentally _drown_ in the jell-o.

No joke. Honest truth here.

And Minty had run right into the swamp in her blind panic and desperation to get away from Turbo…

“Oh mod, please don’t let me drown!” Minty whimpered.

Going back could be a death sentence. Going forward could be a death sentence. Turbo could be anywhere, waiting to snatch her up for dinner. So many ways to die…

Minty never got to decide where she was going to go next. The heavy crunch of candy cane branches snapping overhead made the green-haired girl bolt. She kicked up jell-o and chunks of soggy cake as she ran. She jumped over melted sugar patches, praying she didn’t get stuck in them.

Then her world suddenly turned green…

She’d jumped into a pool of jell-o, believing it to be shallow. She thought she could run across, like she had the rest. But she was in the heart of the swamp now.

She sank in the pool, the heavy gel-like sweet slowing her movements and weighing her down. Little by little, she sank deeper. Her lungs were beginning to scream. She hunched over, trying to curl into a ball.

_Oh mod, I don’t want to drown!_ Minty thought, terrified.

Something big and long suddenly slipped beneath her tiny frame, pulling her up through the jell-o pool. When she broke the surface, she coughed and gasped and wheezed and choked like no tomorrow. Jell-o fell from her hair and clothes, leaving her coated in green slime. Minty was in no condition to be concerned about her looks, though.

There was a long, low whistle. “ _That_ could’ve ended badly. You _eat_ jell-o, not _drown_ in it! Stupid brat…”

Minty barely heard the voice amidst her coughing and gasping. She was too focused on getting air into her starved lungs.

“Ugh… You’re not going to puke on me or anything else sick like that, are you? _That’s_ one way to kill my appetite.”

Minty’s breathing became less labored and she was beginning to become aware of her surroundings. She appeared to be doubled over something that dangled her in the air, curled beneath her waist. As her vision and hearing cleared, she became frighteningly aware of who her savior was.

The very monster that planned to eat them…

Turbo…

“Seriously, you aren’t sick now, right? I’m not interested in eating sick prey if I’ll get sick, too! Can jell-o even _make_ you sick?”

Minty coughed, expelling the last of the accursed jell-o from her lungs. Her breathing smoothed out at last, the green-haired girl shifted enough to figure out her position. Turbo was up in a sturdy candy cane tree above the Jell-O Swamp, one tail curled around Minty. He’d probably used the appendage to pull her from the jell-o pool a few minutes ago.

“…Okay, at least you don’t sound sick anymore. I shouldn’t have to worry now.”

Minty yelped when clawed fingers snagged her by the collar of her jacket, lifting her up to dangle in front of the cybrid’s face. Turbo smirked, displaying razor-sharp yellow teeth. The racer kicked out with her legs weakly, struggling to breathe properly. Her nose was stuffed up!

“I think I’m up for some candied apples right about now,” Turbo commented, tongue sticking out tauntingly.

**ACHOO!!**

Turbo pulled back, gagging. “Augh! You sneezed on my _tongue_! You disgusting brat! Ew!”

Too focused on scrubbing his tongue of the booger-infested jell-o that Minty had sneezed on him, Turbo wound up lowering the arm holding her briefly. Seeing her chance at freedom, Minty slipped her arms free of her jacket and made a mad dash across the Jell-O Swamp. The cybrid never saw her bolt for it, gagging in disgust as he clawed at his tongue.

“You sugar-sweet imp! I’m _definitely_ in need of a mint right…now…?”

Turbo lifted his arm, only to see a green jacket caught between his claws instead of a half-drowned racer. Lifting his head, he stretched his neck out to its full length before finally spotting her. Letting loose a roar of anger, he tore across the trees toward the cowardly brat.

Looking back, Minty jumped and screamed in fright. “No! Help! Someone, _help_!”

Turbo pounced, insect legs driving deep into the squishy cake ground as his clawed hands snatched her up. Minty screamed, caged between razor-sharp claws. Pulling himself upright again, he glared at Minty and bared his teeth.

“I don’t appreciate snot-nosed brats, _especially_ ones that thinking sneezing on someone’s tongue during a meal is a _good idea_!” he snarled.

“I’m sorry! I’m sorry! Please don’t eat me! Please!” Minty begged, tears running down her cheeks.

“A little too late for that. I’ll be taking advantage of your minty flavor,” Turbo said, dangling her over his jaws. “Sayonara, brat face!”

Turbo simply dropped her in his mouth without remorse. True to his word, he swished her tiny frame around briefly before swallowing her down. At least his mouth didn’t taste disgusting anymore.

Now it was minty fresh!

…Pun _completely_ intended…

“How about I find a less disgusting food item now?” Turbo grumbled, still in a bad mood from getting sneezed on.

Then he paused. Lifting his arm, he looked at the green jacket still caught between two clawed fingers. After a moment, he sighed.

“Eh… Why not? It would be _such_ a waste not to,” he admitted, popping the jacket into his mouth too. “…Mmmm! Green apple!”

He stalked away, using his wings to pull himself free of the Jell-O Swamp’s grip. Using the branches of the candy cane trees to navigate the swamp, he headed elsewhere into the forest after more prey. He had quite the menu to chow down on, after all.

And he didn’t want to waste a single bite…

.o.o.o.o.

…That was pretty disgusting. I actually kind of feel bad for Turbo. Bet _that’s_ never happened to him before.

Not that I approve of him eating sugary kids like us to start with!

I think the rule this time around is simple. Hopefully, you’re not dumb enough to break it. That’s just plain sick if you do.

**Rules of Survival #5: Displaying signs of sickness (coughing, sneezing, etc.) will not exempt you from the menu. Using any such sickness for defense will result in immediate devouring.**

Seriously, sneezing on someone’s _tongue_? Ew! I feel sick just writing about it…

This is Pepper Swirlminta, signing off!


	6. Victims 7 and 8: ABC Web

Seems some of the other racers actually managed to stay together in pairs or trios. At least everybody isn’t solo. That would make this game even longer than it already is.

Not that Turbo would mind that, I bet.

The next two I ended up following were Snowanna Rainbeau and Crumbelina DiCaramello. I have _no idea_ how those two ended up together. They just did somehow.

Not that it’ll matter shortly…

.o.o.o.o.

“Oh, this is _so_ not cool!” Snowanna complained, scampering along through the candy cane forest. “I hope Jubileena and Aborabeezle are okay!”

“I’m sure they’re fine, so relax. We’ve got bigger problems…like trying to keep _ourselves_ alive!” Crumbelina reminded, looking over her shoulder hesitantly.

“I can’t believe that… _thing_ …ate Vanellope!” Snowanna cried hysterically. “I mean, isn’t he dead? Didn’t he die? Why is he still alive?!”

“Don’t know, don’t care,” Crumbelina said shortly, scampering past Snowanna. “I’m trying to survive here. You panic if you want. I’m gonna keep moving!”

Snowanna stopped, staring after the other racer. Then she jumped, dashing quickly after Crumbelina. Crumbelina didn’t even slow down for her, continuing to walk at a quick clip. Snowanna whimpered, dashing alongside her.

“You think we can get out of here?” she asked nervously.

“I’m sure gonna try,” Crumbelina said firmly, staring straight ahead with determination. “I’m not sitting around, waiting to become lunch. If I’m going down, that overgrown bug will have to _work_ to eat me!”

“I don’t want to get eaten!” Snowanna whined, scrubbing tears from her cheeks.

“Then keep moving and quit crying,” Crumbelina advised coldly. “Tears won’t make that guy stop. We’re being _hunted_. If we can find the edge of the forest, we can find a way out and get some help.”

“Really?” Snowanna asked hopefully.

“Won’t know until we try. I’m sure not giving up,” Crumbelina declared.

The pair walked for a long time in that one direction. Candy cane trees bordered their path with few breaks in-between them. There was no sign of other racers, the edge of the forest, or Turbo.

Until they heard a familiar sugar-sweet monarch’s laugh.

“Where, oh where, could some yummy racers be? Ahoohoo!”

Snowanna and Crumbelina looked at each other in panic. They knew Turbo was close but where, they weren’t sure. Standing still wouldn’t help. They were sitting peeps!

**SPLASH!!**

“Ew! My ‘fro!” Snowanna complained, wiping sticky goop from her hair.

“Keep it down! He’ll hear us!” Crumbelina hissed, glaring at her.

“Hear you? I can do _more than that_ , kiddoes!”

Both girls froze before looking up. Turbo was perched on the branches overhead, a toothy grin crossing his face. He stuck out his tongue, thick saliva coating it. After a moment, Snowanna screamed in disgust and tried to get the rest of it out of her hair. Crumbelina never let her, dragging her out into the forest as she broke into a run.

“Run, _run_ , as fast as you can! You can’t escape me, I’m the _fastest racer_ in this arcade!” Turbo sang merrily, dropping down from the trees and chasing them.

Snowanna screamed, struggling to keep up with Crumbelina’s swift pace. The other dragged the afro racer behind her, too intent on running to dare look back. They both already knew from the heavy crashing and mad laughter that they were being chased by the cybrid. No need to make it worse by looking back to _see_ him chasing them!

The candy cane trees suddenly parted, revealing a few chocolate trees with marshmallow fluff growing from their tops. The ground became a strange mix of marshmallows and jujubes. With every step they took on this new ground, they bounced slightly.

“This is bad terrain to run on!” Crumbelina growled, struggling to keep up her speed.

“LOOK OUT!!” Snowanna screamed as Turbo got close enough to swipe at them.

Crumbelina made a massive mistake—she looked behind her instead of in front of her.

Their world suddenly turned upside-down…

And stayed that way…

Turbo came to a stop, smirking. “Well, well, well! It looks like my trap-making skills are up to par, after all. First I did Candy Barf pits and now this! I think more traps are in order…”

“…C-Crumbelina?” Snowanna whimpered. “Why are we stuck upside-down?”

The cinnamon bun-themed racer tried to pull her arms close, only for them to stick to… _whatever_ they were on. Twisting her head around caused her hair to be yanked painfully. Her legs were stuck flat, too. After a bit of thinking, the answer hit her.

“Bubblegum.”

“Bubblegum?” Snowanna repeated, eyes wide in shock. Then it became disgust. “Ew! Not in my _hair_! Ugh!”

_Where’d he get this much gum? And how’d he make this huge…web?_ Crumbelina thought, struggling to get free.

“Those jujubes were turbo-tastic springboards!” Turbo declared, leering down at them. “Best of all, you never saw it coming! Had you kept looking forward, you might’ve seen the webs coming and managed to avoid them!”

“Fudge!” Crumbelina cursed, glaring at Snowanna.

“What?! He was gonna hit us!” the afro racer wailed, fresh tears welling in her eyes.

“And you want to know what’s worse?” Turbo taunted, leaning close to the two upside-down girls. “All the gum in Sugar Rush either comes in gumballs, sticks, or cubes. How could I have _possibly_ fashioned a web out of sticky gum?”

Crumbelina looked baffled…then shocked…then disgusted…

“EEEEEEEEEEEEEEWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!! GROOOOOOOOOOSS!!” she screamed, struggles beginning anew.

“What? What?!” Snowanna yelped, terrified.

“It’s ABC gum! He stuck us in a web of ABC gum!” Crumbelina shrieked.

“EEEEEEEWWWW!! No, no, no! Gross! And it’s in my _hair_! Ugh!” Snowanna cried.

In case you don’t know, ABC gum is probably the most disgusting thing imaginable. ABC is code for ‘already been chewed’. ABC gum is already been chewed gum, a.k.a. gum that somebody has chewed and then spat out for various reasons.

Crumbelina and Snowanna were stuck in a web of the stuff…chewed by our resident cybrid…

“You can thank me for all the effort later,” Turbo said triumphantly. “…Oh, wait! You’ll be in my stomach by then. Never mind!”

Plucking Snowanna from the web, tearing a hole in it in the process, he held her in front of him to deliver a long lick to her multicolored afro. Snowanna cried out in disgust. The cybrid pulled away, licking his teeth.

“Mmmmm! It _does_ taste like a snow cone!” he commented. “I _should_ save you for later…but I already have frozen yogurt saved for that!”

_He’s got Nougetsia?_ Crumbelina thought fearfully. _Just how many of us has he already eaten?!_

“Please don’t eat me! Please! I don’t want to die!” Snowanna sobbed, hands clasped in front of her.

“Hmmm…” Turbo tapped his chin in thought. “…I hope that stick in your hair doesn’t choke me. That wouldn’t be good.”

Snowanna gave a loud scream when she was tossed up suddenly. She was abruptly snapped from the air by the cybrid, vanishing in an instant within his jaws. Turbo swallowed, licking his lips of the fruity snow cone flavor. Then he shivered heavily.

“Ugh… _Cold_! Thank mod, I don’t have brain freeze from that!” Turbo complained, rubbing his upper arms to dispel the shivers.

Crumbelina felt her stomach drop down—err, up—to her feet. Turbo had shown no mercy whatsoever to the afro racer. None at all.

_We’re all doomed,_ she realized hopelessly.

“Now then, how about a cinnamon bun?” Turbo commented, plucking her off of the net. “Awww! Now I have to chew _more_ gum to fix those holes. Those webs are hard to make, you know!”

“Sir, if there’s anything I can do to convince you not to eat me… Just please!” Crumbelina begged weakly.

“Sorry, kid, but I’m too hungry to pass up a potential meal. The glitch wasn’t enough to fill me up,” Turbo said, patting his stomach for emphasis. “So I’m just going to keep eating you brats until I’m full. Who knows when _that_ will be, though?”

“Sir, please don’t!” Crumbelina squeaked, curling in on herself in terror.

She was popped into his mouth like a Bon-Bon, caught between sharp teeth and slimy tongue. She clawed her way along the slick appendage, trying to get back out. The teeth chomped but seemed to intentionally not crush her. She coughed, choking on the hot breath crashing into her from his throat.

_Maybe I can grab that uvul…ovul…ewvol… The dangling thing in his throat! He can’t swallow me then, ri—_

Crumbelina’s thoughts were broken when she was abruptly swallowed down. She had no time to cry out or make a grab for Turbo’s uvula. She simply slid down his tongue and into his throat. There was no way out…

Turbo smirked, licking his lips. “Mmmm! Snow cones and cinnamon buns! So sweet…”

He trotted away, humming a happy tune under his breath. All the marshmallow fluff was making him hungry for marshmallows, oddly enough.

Maybe that called for a smore…?

.o.o.o.o.

…That was disgusting. Not as bad as getting your tongue sneezed on, but it was disgusting nonetheless. ABC gum… Ugh!

**Rules of Survival #6: Watch where you’re going, especially if your surroundings suddenly change. Beware of jujubes!**

Seriously, ABC gum! Can it get _any_ worse? That’s the most _disgusting_ thing on the face of the planet! How could Turbo _do_ that? Ugh!

Please don’t let me end up in an ABC gum web…

Please, mod, no…

This is Pepper Swirlminta…signing off…

Ugh…


	7. Victim 9: Syruped and Sprinkled

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mallow McSmorely and Jacks Mapleman do not belong to me. They are the property of my friend Jac Bandit over on fanfiction.net. They’re just joining in on the sugary carnage that is this story.
> 
> WARNING! Loogie usage in effect in this chapter. END WARNING!

Under most circumstances, there would only be fifteen racers for Turbo to snack on. Sadly, he gets a bigger meal thanks to all the updates added to Sugar Rush. New characters—like myself—have appeared to join the cast.

And, in this case, the _menu_ …

My next victims of stalking are two such new characters. One is the overly shy and extremely gullible Jacks Mapleman. The other is mister crash test dummy Mallow McSmorely.

How ironic that Turbo has a craving for _marshmallows_ currently…

.o.o.o.o.

Two boys walked between the candy cane trees, staying side by side.

One had curly brown hair, green eyes hidden behind round glasses, and chestnut-colored skin. He wore a dark brown long-sleeved shirt that seemed too long for his arms and had two forks crossing each other diagonally on the back, golden-brown pants and shoes. He also wore a yellow beret on his head that resembled a piece of butter.

His name was Jacks Mapleman.

The other had pure white hair messy hair, a light skin tone, and big blue eyes. He wore a white jacket flight jacket, a pair of white-rimmed goggles around his neck, white pants with brown stripes around the ankles and knees, and brown shoes. His clothes looked ripped and he looked a bit scratched.

His name was Mallow McSmorely.

Mallow twitched lightly as he walked around nervously. Jacks had been walking right next to him, both boys twitching and looking around nervously.

“M-Mallow, w-w-we gotta hide somewhere...” Jacks mumbled.

“Hide? We’re in the candy cane forest. _This_ is hiding,” Mallow told him in a hushed tone. “But I’ve got it all figured out. If we can get out of here and get to Game Central Station, we can get help. So swallow your fear and keep walking.”

Jacks thought this hair-brained scheme was doomed to fail. It just seemed too easy when put together like that. But Jacks nodded. That was a good idea.

If they could _make it_...

“M-M-Mallow, what if we...? What if—”

“Don’t say stuff like that!” hissed Mallow, his demeanor dropped. “And I want you to know something, Jacks. No matter what happens, run and never look back.”

“B-but what if something—”

Jacks didn't get to finish.

“What? Happens to me? Nothing bad ever happens to me,” Mallow said confidently.

.o.o.o.o.

Unknown to them, Turbo lurked nearby. His craving for marshmallows led him to follow the scent of smores. To be precise, the scent of a certain smore-themed racer.

Not that the scent of pancakes was deterring him. The cybrid was quite in the mood for _any_ sugary treat...though he might need to hunt down a pool of syrup to dunk the pancake-themed brat in, just for giggles.

Despite his massive size, he managed to stay strangely quiet. Lurking through this forest since his deletion at Diet Cola Mountain had given him a keen sense of stealth. He knew this place inside and out.

Now he just had to lure his prey into a trap...or just snatch them up. That _might_ be necessary, knowing Mallow.

Turbo crept among the trees, lured by the scent of marshmallows. Lugging his massive frame into the candy cane trees, he darted quickly among the branches until he caught sight of what he wanted—two racers, smelling of smores and pancakes. Mallow McSmorely and Jacks Mapleman. The cybrid licked his lips, suddenly starving again.

Funny thing about being fused with a virus—you never _really_ got full when you ate.

.o.o.o.o.

Jacks flinched as he looked left and right, like a jittery squirrel.

“Relax, Jacks. We’re way too deep in the forest. If Turbo even tried to walk up to us, we would have heard him snapping on peppermint twigs,” Mallow assured him.

“I-I guess...” Jacks mumbled, the pancake-themed racer not too sure.

.o.o.o.o.

Turbo grinned, sharp yellow teeth bared. Silly, _silly_ Mallow! Did he _really_ think Turbo was stupid enough not to be careful while hunting? He wasn’t the greatest for nothing!

...Okay, so he was supposed to be the greatest _racer_ but hey! That didn’t mean he couldn’t be the greatest _hunter_ the arcade had ever seen, too.

He leaned down on the branch, ensuring he was directly above the path the two wayward racers were on. He flicked his twin tails like an overgrown cat and stretched out, relaxing. That didn’t make him look any less intimidating. Resting his chin on his folded claws, he sang a little song that popped into his head.

“One, two, three, four! I’ve been hungry for a smore!”

Both racers stopped as they slowly turned around and looked at Turbo. Jacks looked ready to scream but no sound came out. Mallow looked just as scared.

“Oh, would you like me to fetch you one?” Mallow asked shakily, his hand digging into his pocket slowly. “Jacks and I can get you one.”

Turbo ignored their offer, lowering a clawed hand to take an experimental swipe at them. He was eager to see how scared they _really_ were of him. It was fun to see the traitorous brats jump and scream in his presence.

“Five, six, seven, eight! Would you mind being cybrid bait?” he sang merrily.

Jacks finally found his scream as Mallow pulled something out. It looked like a peppermint-colored slingshot.

“Nine, ten, eleven, twelve! A Fireball is just as swell!” Mallow shouted, shooting a Fireball on his slingshot at Turbo’s eye.

“GAAAH!!” the cybrid shrieked.

Turbo reeled back, rubbing at his eye to clear out the burning of it getting hit with the Fireball. The branch creaked ominously before breaking, sending the cybrid crashing to the ground in front of them. He writhed, insect legs kicking out as he struggled to get the burning to cease.

“You brat! How dare you?!” he snarled angrily, attempting to right himself from his upside-down position.

“I’m Mallow McSmorely! Why else?!” Mallow laughed obnoxiously loud.

Both racers began to run. Jacks, however, took a sharp left while Mallow went right. Jacks looked over his shoulder but Mallow gave him a sharp look as he kept running in the opposite direction. Jacks gulped as he kept running.

“Catch me if ya can, Turbo-Loser!” Mallow called.

Turbo finally managed to flip over, burning eye squeezed shut to lessen the pain and stop it from watering. He tore after Mallow, completely forgetting about Jacks’ existence for the moment. He wanted to catch the brat that dared to fling a Fireball in his eye!

It wasn’t hard to catch up to Mallow. The kid had two short legs to run on. Turbo had four powerful insect legs _and_ two long arms to snatch with. Once he caught up, he bounded over the boy and drove his insect legs deep into the chocolate ground to stop himself. He whipped around and bared his teeth at the brat, lone eye glaring angrily at him.

“You have a lot of nerve,” he warned. “I think smores will go good with the cinnamon bun that I just ate. Let’s not forget the snow cone either!”

“Cinnamon... Y-y-you ate… YOU ATE CRUMBELINA AND SNOWANNA?!” Mallow asked, horrified as he nearly fell over his two feet. He tried to steel his nerves. “Y-you overeating freak! I hope you get diabetes from eating all of us!” he spat.

“Oh, I’ve eaten _plenty_ of you brats recently. I had the glitch, some cake and taffy, a lollipop, some butterscotch candy, an apple mint, a cinnamon bun, and a snow cone,” Turbo said, ticking off the sweets on his claws. “I also have some more taffy and some frozen yogurt hidden away for later.”

Then he grinned maliciously, leaning closer to Mallow.

“Did I mention I had cake? Little bugger burned my throat with that candle on the way down...but she tasted turbo-tastic!” he commented cruelly.

Tears ejected themselves from Mallow’s eyes as he scowled at Turbo. “You’re a disgusting excuse for code! And you’re a sucky racer!” spouted Mallow, spitting at the cy-bug/racer hybrid.

Turbo backed up a step, dodging the spit. He smirked. “Oh, that's _right_! You had a crush on the cake racer!” he remembered. “What was her name? Uh... Cakesmear? No... Candle-something or other, I think. I can’t be bothered to remember. It’s not like she was important or anything...”

“Yes, she was!” Mallow cried as he pulled out another Fireball. “And shut your mouth!” he ordered, shooting the spicy candy into Turbo’s mouth.

Turbo gagged, coughing and hacking for a few seconds before spitting out the Fireball. He stuck his tongue out in disgust before glaring at Mallow. He shot out a claw, snatching the racer up by the collar of his shirt.

Lifting the brat up to eye-level, he frowned. “Now then, what to do with you? I should just eat you, especially with all those Fireballs...”

He easily plucked the slingshot away with his other claw, looking it over briefly before crushing it. Then he tossed the remains of the peppermint weapon into his mouth, easily downing it. He sighed in satisfaction, tongue running along his teeth. _That_ killed his endless hunger a tiny bit...

Mallow leered at Turbo before he began laughing loudly. “Go ahead, Turbo! I’d rather be food than live knowing I’ll just be a snack later!” he said before smirking. “By the way...am I _turbo-tastic_ now?!” he cackled, spitting on Turbo’s hand and putting his usual goggles over his eyes.

“Eugh!” Turbo groaned, tongue stuck out as he shook the claw the brat had spat on. He glared at the boy, not amused.

Then an idea hit him, splitting the cybrid’s face in half with a grin.

“How do you fancy a dip, Mallow?” he asked, smirking.

“A dip? Like in the fruit punch sea? I don’t think marshmallows taste good with fruit juice,” Mallow said with a snarky tone, having accepted his fate.

“No, not in the fruit punch sea,” Turbo shook his head. Then he looked thoughtful. “That might be a good idea for later, though. I was thinking more along the lines of...maple syrup? Maybe your pancake friend might like to join in, too?”

He prodded the boy playfully with a claw.

“No, no, no! Pancakes are _not_ on the menu!” Mallow argued as he tried to take a bite out of Turbo’s claw.

Turbo pulled his claw away quickly. “Aw, but why? Pancakes go very well with marshmallows and maple syrup!” he taunted, heading deeper into the candy cane forest to sniff out a syrup pool. “Besides, why should we leave poor Jacks out? I’m sure he’s lonely, wandering this scary forest all by himself...”

“I’d rather have him be lonely than be a meal for you, Turbo-Loser!” Mallow shouted as he squirmed around hap-hazardously. “Is this _really_ what makes you great?! What happens when you eat us all?! You’ll be all alone in here!”

“Oh, I sincerely doubt that. You’ll likely regenerate,” Turbo replied, glancing between Mallow and the path ahead. “And when you do, maybe we’ll play another game like this. And we’ll do it again...and again...and again! I’ll never be bored! Sure, I can’t race like this...but at least you won’t be able to either!”

The trees were thinning out up ahead. The heavy scent of warm maple syrup caught Turbo’s attention, causing him to trail off from what he was saying. Up ahead was a large pool of maple syrup.

 _Just_ what Turbo had hoped to find!

“You’re a jerk, you know that?!” Mallow scoffed. “And you were a sucky racer! Whenever you won, it was because the rest of us held back,” he taunted.

“Held back from my _greatness_ , maybe. You all _knew_ how inferior you were compared to me,” Turbo replied, pausing at the edge of the pool. “Mmmmm! Smells good! If only we had pancakes...”

Mallow stuck his tongue out at him. “I hope you choke on me too, you son of a cy-bug!”

Turbo frowned...and plunged Mallow into the syrup pool, claws snagged on the boy’s shirt collar to keep the kid from coming back up of his own accord.

“One, two, three, four! I think I’m hungry for a smore!” Turbo sang merrily, laying down on the chocolaty bank of the pool while his arm was elbow-deep in warm maple syrup. “Five, six, seven, eight! Will drowning here become your fate? Nine, ten, eleven, twelve! Uh... I don’t know how to finish this song very well!”

Mallow squirmed and struggled as he tried to get out of the syrup. This was torture! He tried to escape. Then...

“!”

An idea! Mallow quickly began to slip off his syrup-stained shirt as he tried to swim away. Swimming in syrup... Pretty difficult…

Turbo frowned when he felt resistance against his claws. Then...nothing...

The cybrid looked down to see Mallow swimming through the syrup...or _trying_ to. It was like watching someone swimming in slow motion. Pulling his arm from the sticky pool, he watched the brat try to swim for a while.

“This is my most entertaining meal yet,” he chuckled.

Mallow ignored Turbo’s laughing as he gasped for a quick break of air before dipping back into the syrupy deep to try and escape. It was difficult to go left to right, so he just kept swimming to the right.

Turbo rolled over in his laughter, clutching his stomach. “Yep! Most entertaining meal yet!” the cybrid declared, tails smacking the ground and creating tremors as he laughed.

Mallow coughed from the shaking as he kept swimming, reaching the other side of the syrupy pool before crawling out. Turbo righted himself, easily scuttling over to meet the brat on the far shore. He was tempted to laugh some more but he decided not to, snatching the sticky brat up in one clawed hand.

“Have fun swimming? _Told you_ a dip was a good idea,” the cybrid said idly, as if he were chattering to an old friend.

Mallow leered at Turbo. “You’re enjoying this too much. You know that, right?”

“Isn’t that my job?” Turbo asked with a toothy grin. “And trust me, I’m not done with you yet.”

Turbo left the syrup pool behind, heading deeper into the candy cane forest. He was still keeping an eye out for Jacks. He wouldn't mind a secondary snack to the syrup-drenched smore he currently had...

Mallow kept squirming around in Turbo’s grip as he lifted his goggles from over his eyes. “Lemme go!” he grunted.

“Awww! Why? That would kill the fun!” Turbo chuckled, tightening his grip on Mallow out of spite. “Just pipe down. We’re nearly there, anyway.”

Mallow grunted. “Never!” he cackled as he hit the cybrid’s claw and kept squirming.

“Fine,” Turbo shrugged. “Don’t blame me if you choke, though. That’s your own fault, not mine. I warned you to pipe down.”

The candy cane trees thinned out again, revealing a meadow chock-full of sprinkle flowers. Turbo promptly dropped the syrup-drenched racer among them, rolling the brat around like a toy until he was coated in rainbow sprinkles of all shapes, sizes, and colors. This also resulted in his syrup-covered arm getting coated in sprinkles, but Turbo didn’t mind that.

He could lick _that_ off between hunts.

“Hey! Stop! Cut that out! Mmph! Mmh!” Soon enough, Mallow was covered in sprinkles as he kept squirming, defiant as usual.

Turbo plucked him back up, smirking in satisfaction. “I’ve heard of being tarred and feathered...but this? I guess in Sugar Rush, you get syruped and sprinkled.”

The cybrid chuckled darkly at his little joke.

“Just so you know, I’m going to hack a loogie right in your throat,” Mallow said defiantly.

“...Eugh,” Turbo groaned, disgusted. “Must you be so sick? And I thought _I_ was the bad one here...”

“No, you’re still bad,” Mallow chuckled grimly. “I’m the lesser of two evils.”

“You’re the more _disgusting_ of two evils,” Turbo muttered, leaving the field of sprinkle flowers behind in favor of the candy cane forest. “Maybe we need to syrup and sprinkle you again, just to get my point across?”

Mallow began licking himself. “What? That you’re a jerk?” he said snidely.

“That I don’t like snot-nosed brats that backtalk to their superiors,” Turbo corrected, spotting the syrup pool up ahead. “And quit licking yourself! You’re not doing yourself any favors, you know!”

Mallow snickered. “Superiors? No, you’re not my superior. You’re a washed-up hack who couldn’t share the spotlight,” he taunted. “And I’ll lick myself if I want!” he whined as he kept licking.

Turbo glared at him. “...You know what? I’m done talking to you.”

“Aw, Turbo! Buddy!” Mallow chuckled. “I thought we were having fun! Remember those golden days you had? You know, before you got replaced?”

“Food doesn't talk,” Turbo grumbled.

He tilted his head back and promptly dropped Mallow into his mouth, sharp yellow fangs crashing shut behind him. A long pink tongue got to work shoving the smore-themed racer toward the back of his throat. The cybrid was obviously eager to silence the boy and digestion was the _perfect cure_ for the annoying chatterbox racer.

Besides, it had worked to silence _every other racer_ he’d found so far.

Mallow may have gone down his throat, but he made good on his promise as he hacked a loogie right on top of it as he gave off a final cackle. Turbo swallowed a few gallons of maple syrup, no doubting the brat would hold true to his word about that loogie.

“I hope you drown in syrup before you digest,” the cybrid snarled, wiping his mouth free of the sugary liquid.

Once the disgusting taste of loogie was gone, Turbo headed back into the candy cane trees. He was in a bad mood thanks to Mallow. Might as well take it out on whichever racer he came across next...

.o.o.o.o.

…And I thought Turbo was being disgusting lately. Should’ve known Mallow would steal that award quickly enough. And with a… Ugh! A loogie, of all things…

**Rules of Survival #7: Being an overall annoyance, taunting, laughing at, bringing up past events, and hacking loogies in the throats of your resident predator will not make your torment and/or death any less horrible. If anything, it’ll make it worse for you.**

…I need to stop following the weirdos around…

This is Pepper Swirlminta, signing off!


	8. Victim 10: Racer in a Blanket

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’ve chosen to let King Candy carry the lisp but not Turbo. Words that King Candy lisps are italicized so you know they aren’t spelling errors.

Much like King Candy making his puns, Turbo seems to enjoy making food-related jokes while he catches us. Like syruping and sprinkling Mallow, for example. Same old cheesy attitude pun-wise.

It’s just far more _lethal_ now.

My next subject of rule-making study was Jubileena Bing-Bing. Like many of us, she was all alone in the candy cane forest. Nobody was around to help her.

And _nobody_ was there to save her from Turbo…

.o.o.o.o.

“Snowanna! Adorabeezle!” Jubileena cried. “Where are you guys?”

The redhead racer wandered between the thick candy cane trees, hands cupped over her mouth to better carry her voice. After Vanellope was eaten, she had run for her life. Regrettably, she hadn’t tried to locate Snowanna or Adorabeezle first. Now she was on her own.

The worst possible horror scenario imaginable…

_Stop it, Jubileena! This isn’t a scary movie! This is reality! And you could very well get deleted in here,_ she thought, trying to quell her terror. _Think rationally. There must be a way out. A glitch or something in Turbo’s trap. There’s gotta be one! There always is!_

Sadly, Jubileena had no idea where she was. She had just bolted in a random direction. Her sense of direction was completely destroyed by the never-ending stretch of candy cane trees in every direction around her. There was nothing to break up the monotony!

It was too much for her to take all at once.

“SNOWANNA! ADORABEEZLE! ANYONE! HELP!!”

Her screams echoed through the striped trees, disappearing into the distance. There was no reply. Just the echoes of her own voice.

Jubileena fell to her knees, crying. _I’m never getting out of here! I’m going to die!_

“Oh, you poor, poor thing! Who in the world did _thith_ to you? My poor darling racer…”

_King Candy?!_ Jubileena thought, head snapping up.

Nobody was there.

“Hello? King Candy?” she dared to call.

The sugary monarch’s voice came from nowhere. “Here, Jubileena! Over here! Oh, my poor _thweet_ gumdrop! Who could _pothibly_ do _thith_ to you?”

_It’s a lie! You know King Candy isn’t real! He was fake! Something Turbo made up to trick us!_ the rational part of Jubileena shrieked.

Regardless, the redhead got up and followed the voice. Something about that sugary-sweet voice brought up hope. King Candy wouldn’t hurt her. He’d never hurt anyone. Turbo was the bad one! King Candy was innocent!

_Stop it! They’re the same person! You know this!_ the rational part cried.

She wasn’t sure how long she ran for. King Candy’s voice was definitely getting closer and louder, though. When she finally stopped for a breather, he had stopped talking completely. She looked around in a panic.

“King Candy? Please come out! Turbo’s here and he ate Vanellope and if he catches you, he’ll eat you too and I don’t want you to get eaten because—”

“ _Thilly_ little girl,” King Candy giggled from right behind her. “I thought you knew _thith_. Everything _mutht_ eat, even hungry _cybridth_. You _thould’ve_ never followed me here, my _thweet_ little gumdrop.”

Jubileena froze, suddenly terrified. Hot breath blasted her from behind. Slowly turning, her red eyes widened in fear.

Turbo was dangling upside-down from a branch high above, powerful insect legs supporting his weight. Twin tails wagged merrily about. Turbo’s face was upside-down, making his razor-sharp grin even worse.

“ _What’th_ the matter, dear?” Turbo asked, perfectly mimicking King Candy’s voice and lisp. “Peep got your tongue?”

Jubileena screamed, bolting. She dashed back the way she came, running as fast as her legs would carry her. Loud crashing signaled that Turbo was in pursuit. That just made Jubileena run all the faster.

The hill came faster that she could react…

One minute, she was running. The next, she was rolling. Candy grass and chocolate soil stuck to her jacket and legs are she rolled. Then it was suddenly gone, replaced by smooth slippery ground. Something sticky clung to her back, causing the ground to wrap around her. It got tighter with each roll, like it was trying to suffocate her.

The rolling suddenly came to a startling stop. Jubileena groaned, feeling sick. She rested her forehead against the ground, willing her stomach to stop churning. After a moment, it settled.

“Thank mod,” she whispered.

“Might be a bit too late to be thanking them,” a voice snickered darkly above her.

Jubileena froze before she felt the ground wrapped around her—and thus Jubileema herself—being plucked up from the ground. Suddenly being pulled into a straightened position, she reared back in terror when she found herself face-to-face with Turbo. Unable to move thanks to the ground being wrapped tightly around her, all she could do was pull her head back an inch or two.

“ _What’th_ wrong, gumdrop? _Thcared_?” Turbo asked in King Candy’s voice, a cruel grin crossing his face. He stroked her hair with a clawed finger. “Don’t be _thcared_ of me, _thweetheart_. You _thouldn’t_ be _thcared_ of your ruler, right?”

“Y-you’re not our r-ruler,” Jubileena stuttered. “V-Vanellope is!”

“I thought _the wath_ your _prethident_ , ahoohoo~!” Turbo corrected playfully, pulling one of King Candy’s goofy faces.

“S-she is!” Jubileena said, trying to be brave. “Y-you died! Y-you’re not our leader anymore!”

“But she’s dead now,” Turbo pointed out, dropping the facade of King Candy. “I ate her. She’s deleted.”

“N-not forever!” Jubileena countered.

“You don’t know that. For all you know, everything I eat is permanently deleted,” Turbo taunted, grinning. “You haven’t seen or heard the glitch since she became dinner a while ago, have you?”

“…N-no,” Jubileena admitted.

That’s when Jubileena realized what was around her. It was a Fruit Roll-Up. She was completely encased in it, the fruit wrap extended far beyond her feet. It was wrapped so tight that she couldn’t move at all.

“I guess you’d be a racer in a blanket,” Turbo chuckled. “Get it? _Pigs_ in a blanket, _racers_ in a blanket. Eh?”

Jubileena wiggled in the fruit wrap, trying to get loose. The sticky candy clung to her clothes, further entrapping her. There was no escape from this…

“Trying to escape? I don’t think so,” Turbo said, grinning toothily.

She was suddenly lifted high up. Teeth snapped shut inches from her feet, causing her to scream. Turbo pulled back, happily munching on the empty chunk of Fruit Roll-Up he had torn off. Once he swallowed that, he lowered Jubileena to eye-level again.

“Cherry pie seems like a good snack to have right about now. Maybe I’ll visit my pits to see if I caught anything else after this,” Turbo commented idly.

“Please don’t do this! King Candy, please!” Jubileena wailed.

“Kiddo, I don’t think you understand. King Candy doesn’t exist. I made him up to fool you stupid kids. And you _fell_ for it. That disguise worked _perfectly_.” Turbo laughed. “It was turbo-tastic, really! You _actually_ thought I cared about your worthless codes! I only kept you around so the game didn’t get unplugged! Didn’t want to have to game-jump _again_ , you know?”

Jubileena lowered her head sadly, tears rolling down her cheeks. “Y… Y-you really did lie to us?”

“Yep!” Turbo nodded, smirking. “You runts were just there as insurance. I didn’t actually care. Not really, anyway.”

“It was all…a lie?” Jubileena squeaked.

“Yep,” Turbo said, lifting her up above his mouth. “None of it was true. I was just messing with you guys. And how easy to mess with, you were.”

Jubileena never even got to cry out before she was plunged into darkness, sharp yellow fangs snapping shut behind her. It was a quick trip down his throat. The salt of her tears complimented her cherry-sweet flavor well.

Turbo licked his lips, satisfied. “Stupid kid.” He chuckled. “I’ve never cared about anything but myself before. Why would I start now?”

He scuttled away into the trees, searching out his next prey item…

.o.o.o.o.

Well, that was a new trick. I think this calls for two rules in my survival guide!

**Rules of Survival #8: If you hear a familiar voice that you know for certain is dead or never existed (King Candy), DON’T follow it. Run the other way, if anything.**

**Rules of Survival #9: Beware of rolling down hills. Fruit Roll-Up can prove to be hazardous if you’re on the run.**

This is Pepper Swirlminta, signing out!


	9. Victims 11 and 12: Berries and Cream and Taffy

Since Turbo said he was heading to check the pits next, I doubled back to the candy barf pit that Nougetsia and Sticky were stuck in. From what I could tell, nobody else had fallen into it yet. But _who_ do I happen to find there, trying to _rescue_ the pair of trapped recolor racers?

The last of the recolor racers—Citrusella Flugpucker.

How _ironic_ considering Jubileena’s fate only a short time ago…

.o.o.o.o.

“Come on! Grab it!” Citrusella cried.

“I…can’t! It’s still too high!” Nougetsia complained, straining to reach a length of licorice rope.

Citrusella was perched on the edge of the pit on her hands and knees, cotton candy cover torn on one end, clutching the end of a long piece of licorice she had found hanging from the nearby candy cane trees. Nougetsia had one arm wrapped around Sticky while her other arm stretched and struggled to snag the other end of the candy rope. It was just too far away, though.

“Find another one!” Nougetsia said, lowering her aching arm.

“There _are_ no more! None that I can _reach_ , at least!” the blueberry-themed racer barked. “Just grab it!”

“I _can’t_ , Citrusella! It’s too far away! I can’t even touch it!” Nougetsia yelled, growing annoyed.

“We’re gonna die!” Sticky sobbed, head in her hands.

“Shut it, Sticky! You’ll draw bug-butt to us!” Citrusella snapped, glaring at the turquoise recolor.

“Enough fighting.” Nougetsia sighed, staring at the melted sugar that kept her feet prisoner. “Citrusella, just…go, okay?”

“No way! I’m not leaving you two down there!” Citrusella cried, horrified by the suggestion. “I’m getting you out!”

“Forget it, Citrusella! You’ll just get caught, too!” the pink recolor shouted, glaring up at the other recolor.

Citrusella backed up a step, shocked and afraid. Nougetsia wasn’t known to shout, let alone get so angry about something. It was frightening to see her acting like this. Even Sticky stopped crying, terrified of setting her friend off.

“We already lost Torvald,” Nougetsia said softly, a tear rolling down her cheek. “Vanellope and who knows how many others, too. Don’t you get it? We can’t get away. There’s no chance of us getting away from him. Not now, not ever. We’re all going to die here, eaten by a psychotic cybrid racer who already unplugged two games and tried to take over a third—ours.”

“…But I—”

“No ‘but’s, Citrusella! Go on! Get out of here!” Nougetsia demanded, looking up at her fiercely. “If you can survive until the end, there might be a chance. We haven’t seen Vanellope, so she must’ve regenerated outside of the forest. The longer we can keep Turbo occupied, the more likely Ralph or Sgt. Calhoun or SOMEBODY…will come rescue us. Okay?”

“But Nougetsi—”

“JUST GO!!” Nougetsia screamed tearfully.

Citrusella froze, caught between doing as she was told or continuing to try and get the too-short licorice rope to reach her trapped friends. Tears welling in her eyes, she staggered to her feet and let the rope plummet into the pit. She stifled her sobs as she turned, leaving her best friends behind.

Too bad she didn’t get even four steps from the pit…

“Awww! How sweet! Best friends, wanting to stick together to the bitter end but are unable to due to horrible circumstances! What a lovely tear-filled drama…”

Citrusella jumped, head snapping up to see the gigantic cybrid standing in front of her. She had never heard him coming. He stood there, hands clasped together with an adoration-filled look on his face. That look suddenly changed, becoming one of disgust.

“Ugh! I _hate_ teary dramas,” Turbo said, tongue stuck out to further display his disgust. “Too mushy for me. I prefer turbo-tastic action and speedy stuff, like races. Races where _I_ win!”

He abruptly snatched Citrusella up by the collar of her jacket, dangling her at eye-level with him. The violet-haired racer screamed, kicking her feet in desperation. Turbo reared his head back, dodging the struggling.

“Nope! I already learned _that lesson_ , brat face,” Turbo chuckled, grinning triumphantly.

“Let me go! Let me go! Let me go!” Citrusella cried, kicking and thrashing wildly.

“Let you go? Okay!” Turbo said, opening his mouth and dangling her over it.

“No! Wait! Don’t!” Citrusella screamed, clinging to one clawed finger in terror. “Don’t drop me! Please, don’t!”

“But you said to let go,” Turbo reminded tauntingly.

“Please, don’t! I don’t wanna die!” the blueberry-themed racer cried, tears falling anew down her cheeks.

“…Meh.” Turbo licked her, resulting in her screeching in disgust. “You taste too bland by yourself. Needs a little something _extra_ …”

“Turbo! Let her go!” Nougetsia shouted from in the pit.

“Pipe down, Yogurtsia!” Turbo barked, glaring at the pair. “I’ll be back for you in a minute. Be patient. I’m not full _yet_. You’ll _all_ get your turn, don’t worry.”

“Nougetsia!” she corrected angrily.

“Who _cares_? You’re not _that_ important,” Turbo said, waving a hand dismissively. “Stick around, okay? I’ll be back!”

The cybrid turned, heading away from the pit and deeper into the forest of candy canes. Nougetsia was still shouting, but Turbo tuned her out. He also tuned out Citrusella’s begging. He had a more important task at the moment.

To find something to make eating a blueberry a better experience.

It didn’t take long to find something. Turbo flashed a fanged grin at Citrusella, heading toward a large mound of whipped cream. He made a mental note to remember the location. Berries and pancakes tasted better with whipped cream, after all.

“What are you doing? Don’t!” Citrusella pleaded, realizing what was going to happen.

“Less talk, brat. I’m not listening, anyway,” Turbo commented lightly.

He promptly plunged the blueberry-themed racer into the mound. Turbo was up to his elbow in whipped cream. That would make a lovely after-snack. After a few seconds, he withdrew his arm and grinned at his tasty prize.

“Now you look turbo-tastically delicious!” Turbo snickered cruelly.

“You’re not a leprechaun,” Citrusella coughed, completely coated in a thick layer of whipped cream.

Turbo glared at her. “You’re right. I’m _not_. I’m _far worse_ ,” he hissed.

Citrusella fell silent, terrified. Turbo grinned, satisfied he’d gotten his point across. He gave the creamy racer a small lick, purring at the increased flavor.

“Yep! _Now_ you’re good enough to eat,” Turbo decided.

Citrusella gave a scream when she was tossed up. Razor-sharp teeth crashed shut on her, trapping her in a stinky, dark place. Seconds before she was attacked by a slimy tongue, she realized where she was.

She screamed one final time…

.o.o.o.o.

Sticky looked up, hearing a scream. “Nougetsia…?”

The pink recolor hugged her close. “It’s okay. Just ignore it, Sticky. We’ll be okay.”

“But Citrusella!” Sticky sobbed. “Is she…?”

“It’s okay,” Nougetsia said softly, rubbing the other’s back. “It’ll all be okay.”

The ground rumbled slightly. Nougetsia glared up at the pit’s torn cotton candy top, the rip still there from Citrusella finding them. Turbo soon appeared, leering down at them. He had some white cream at one corner of his mouth.

“Told you I’d be back,” he sang merrily, tongue swiping at the cream on his cheek

“Citrusella!” Sticky cried tearfully.

“Oh, her? I decided to have some berries and cream,” Turbo replied lightly. “Only…I’m _still_ a bit hungry for blueberries.”

“No blueberries here. Go somewhere else!” Nougetsia snarled.

“Oh, how harsh! But, as I recall, there _is_ blueberry taffy,” Turbo pointed out. “And how convenient that it’s right in front of me. Blueberry taffy seems like it’d be a good compliment to blueberries and cream…”

Nougetsia had no chance to retaliate or try to protect Sticky. A single clawed finger flicked her in the face, snapping her head back painfully. Falling back on her butt, the pink recolor yelped and clutched her aching forehead. Her ankles cried in protest, still painfully stuck in the melted sugar of the pit’s bottom.

“NOUGETSIA!”

“Sticky!” Nougetsia cried.

She looked up to see Sticky easily plucked from the pit’s bottom, melted sugar coating her feet. She was hauled up to Turbo’s face, where he abruptly licked her. Sticky cried amidst Turbo’s pleased purr. Then she was dropped into his mouth, all within Nougetsia’s line of sight.

“STICKY!!” she screamed.

“Mmmmm! Now _that_ was turbo-tastically delicious,” Turbo said, smiling pleasantly. He looked down at the crying Nougetsia. “Now, I _know_ I said I’d be back to have _you_ but Bluesella put me in the mood for blueberries. I guess you’ll be saved for later… _again_.”

Nougetsia didn’t respond, face in her hands as she cried. Turbo ignored her, repairing the torn cotton candy concealing his trap and then heading off into the forest to pursue his next meal. He crossed off taffy on his list of stored snacks.

Frozen yogurt and revenge were very similar dishes. Both were best served cold.

Turbo wondered which one tasted better…

.o.o.o.o.

Now we’re down to our final recolor racer. Poor Nougetsia… She just can’t seem to catch a break, huh?

Two rules this time around. The second one should’ve been obvious but since Citrusella made that mistake, I may as well include it. Don’t ignore it…

**Rules of Survival #10: While rescuing trapped friends can be a good idea, never forget to keep an eye on your surroundings. Losing track of what’s around you or not registering something approaching you from behind can lead to lethal consequences.**

**Rules of Survival #11: Don’t argue with Turbo if he steals catchphrases. You will lose. And be eaten. In that order.**

This is Pepper Swirlminta, signing off!


	10. Victims 13 and 14: Sweet and Sour

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lemonce Sourson does not belong to me! Neither does this chapter’s rule! They belong to IlikeSTRANGEpairings over on fanfiction.net. The pessimistic conversation found in that review section—that caused IlikeSTRANGEpairings to submit Lemonce—belongs to Notsosurgarushed, also on fanfiction.net.
> 
> I also do not own the tune to “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds”.

This person called for a unique situation, a unique reaction, and an equally unique rule…because, really, how often do you come across a racer that _won’t_ scream and cry and beg for their life when faced with death at the hands—err, jaws—of a voracious cybrid predator that was once Sugar Rush’s stand-in king?

Enter Lemonce Sourson…

Just watch and learn, people. _Watch and learn_ …

.o.o.o.o.

“Oh my mod! Vanellope was just _eaten_!”

A young boy with short dark brown hair, pale skin, and green eyes frantically ran through the candy cane forest. He wore a yellow sour skittle cap with a matching jacket, a bright green undershirt, dark red pants with yellow stripes down the sides, and black shoes. Around his waist was a sour rope belt.

Lemonce Sourson, a racer as enthusiastic and upbeat as Sour Bill...

He kept running, eyes darting over his shoulder every few seconds. He expected to see the deranged cybrid burst from the trees and pursue him at any second. He was so engrossed in watching behind him that he ran smack into a candy cane tree. He yelped, falling back with a hand over his mouth. He could taste copper on his tongue.

A loud scream tore his thoughts from his split lip.

“Taffyta…” Lemonce whispered.

He didn’t hesitate to get up, running as far away from the scream as he could. This time, he didn’t dare look behind him. It wasn’t worth the trouble. In all honesty, he didn’t _want_ to see the crazed racer-bug thing chasing him.

He just wanted to get home…

.o.o.o.o.

It felt like an eternity before Lemonce’s legs couldn’t handle running anymore. He eventually slowed to a sluggish walk, wobbling this way and that on occasion. His feet were sore from the running…and he felt so _tired_ …

The screams of his fellow racers echoed in his ears.

_We’re all going to die here,_ Lemonce realized, slowing to a stop. The realization hit him like a brick wall. _Why am I even bothering to run? He’ll catch me, anyway. What’s the point? We’re just entertaining him, if anything!_

The brunette slumped back against a tree, sliding to the ground.

_What’s the point?_ he wondered, staring up at the sugary sky above him.

.o.o.o.o.

“…And _why_ aren’t you running around, screaming like a peep with its head cut off?”

Lemonce would’ve jumped in fright…if he hadn’t already decided that his life was over. The boy merely tilted his head back. Turbo was halfway up the tree he was seated in front of, claws dug into the peppermint bark and a questioning look on his face.

“Hey! Are you deaf? I said—”

“I heard what you said,” Lemonce interrupted dully, dragging himself to his feet. “I just decided running was pointless. You’re going to catch us anyway, so what’s the point?”

Turbo stared at the boy like he’d grown a second head. “…Seriously?”

Lemonce turned around and stared up at Turbo, tired. “Yeah. Why bother when you know you’re going to die anyway? You ate Vanellope, after all. How can the rest of us possibly escape if she didn’t, glitching and all?”

“Aren’t you going to beg for your life?” Turbo asked, slowly sliding down from the tree.

“Why should I? You already ate all those other racers. What makes me so special?” Lemonce asked, gaze following Turbo down the tree.

“Not even one scream?” Turbo questioned, pulling away from the tree upon reaching the ground.

“Dude, just _eat_ me already!” Lemonce demanded tiredly.

“What fun is _that_?” Turbo countered, slowly circling the pint-sized racer.

“I’m not having fun. Why should you?” Lemonce replied coldly, firmly staying where he was and glaring at the ground.

“Because I’m the best and deserve to have fun at your expense,” Turbo answered, stopping just behind him. “Last chance, brat.”

“…Just finish me off,” Lemonce muttered, head hung in surrender.

Turbo stared at him, wondering briefly about the kid’s sanity. The thought was dismissed quickly, though. Lifting a hand, he got ready to snatch up the annoying brat and toss him down his throat.

Moments later, Turbo abruptly straightened and skittered off. _I can’t eat a meal without having a bit of fun beforehand,_ he thought.

Lemonce just stood there, awaiting his end, unaware that the monstrous cybrid had left…

.o.o.o.o.

_Let’s see… Anyone screaming or such nearby?_ Turbo wondered.

He skittered quickly along the ground, not going too far from Lemonce’s position. He planned to go back and eat the pesky brat. He just needed a bit of a…normal meal. As in, one that screamed and cried and begged for their life.

Because _mod_ , he decided he’d rather have all of that than have the opposite. _Not_ screaming and crying and begging for your life was…so unnatural. It made the hunt…too easy, almost.

Turbo liked a challenge, pathetic as the Sugar Rush racers were. At least they _tried_ to appeal to his better nature! Not that it helped them…

Or that he didn’t even _have_ a better nature…

“Snowanna! Jubileena! Where are you guys?!”

Turbo froze, waiting. The call came again. Zeroing in on it, the cybrid took to the trees and quickly hurried toward the source. It didn’t take long to find the voice’s owner.

Poor little Adorabeezle Winterpop, all alone without her friends…

_How sad…for her!_ Turbo thought wickedly, tongue swiping over his teeth. _And how sweet…for me!_

“Snowanna! Jubileena! Please, answer me!” the winter flap hat-wearing racer cried, hands cupped around her mouth to better carry her voice. “Hello? Is anyone out there?”

“Do I count?” Turbo asked.

Adorabeezle’s scream was like music to his ears. _Now THAT is how you’re supposed to react to seeing me!_

The ensuing chase was short, but it filled Turbo with a rush of adrenaline. It was incredible, the thrill of the hunt. Upon snatching the tiny racer up, he couldn’t help but cackle cruelly at the tears rushing down her cheeks.

“Awww! What’s wrong? Scared of little old me?” Turbo asked, honey coating his voice. “…Oh, wait! I’m not so little, now am I? Oh, yes! The little one would be _you_!”

“Please don’t eat me! I’ll do whatever you want, honest! I’ll polish your armor, find you food… Anything!” Adorabeezle pleaded. “Just don’t eat me!”

“Why should you find me food when you’d make a delectable snack yourself?” Turbo pointed out.

“I don’t taste good, I swear!” Adorabeezle shrieked as she dangled over his mouth.

“You taste yourself? Kids sure are strange nowadays,” Turbo chuckled. “Unfortunately, your opinions mean nothing to me. I’ll be the judge of whether you taste good or not, kiddo.”

“No, wait! Please, don’t!” she wailed.

“Adorabeezle in the sky with teardrops,” Turbo sang merrily, copying a tune he’d once heard on the radio when the kids would play Turbo Time. “I wonder if your tears taste like freezy pops?”

The child’s scream as she plunged into his jaws made Turbo’s heart race. He was delighted by the taste of popsicles despite the shivers they gave him. He swallowed her down with ease, purring.

“That tasted goo—Ugh! Brain freeze!” Turbo hissed, clutching his head. “Mod! How do you cure these again?”

He stood there for a few minutes, head clutched in his clawed hands. He thought about the sun melting a block of ice. He jammed his tongue against the roof of his mouth. He breathed rapidly, hands in front of his mouth. He held his nose.

“…Oh, thank mod! I _hate_ those!” Turbo groaned when the freezing pain vanished. “Now to go find that pessimistic brat again…”

Shaking off the last of the shivers, the cybrid retraced his steps. Now that his fun had been had, he’d be able to eat the annoying brat without feeling like it was an easy meal.

…Though, if you really thought about it, _all_ of his meals had been easy so far…

Turbo snorted, moving on. Who cared if they were easy? They were brats. This was his revenge. What more was needed?

.o.o.o.o.

“…You _seriously_ stood there this whole time?”

Turbo had returned to where he left Lemonce, happy and content with his previous popsicle snack—brain freeze promptly ignored—only to find the skittle-themed brat _right where the cybrid left him_! The kid hadn’t even moved an inch. He just stood there, head hung, silently waiting.

“Are you going to eat me yet?” Lemonce asked, slightly annoyed by the wait.

“You _seriously_ stayed put? You didn’t even _move_!” Turbo accused, peeved.

“Huh?” Lemonce shifted, looking over his shoulder in confusion.

“I left for _fifteen minutes_ to hunt down another snack and I come back to find you right where you were when I left!” Turbo barked angrily, jabbing the boy in the back with a claw. “Anyone else would’ve taken the chance to run away as fast as possible but _you_ …! No, you stayed _right there_! Why. Aren’t. You. Running. Away?!”

He punctuated each word of that last sentence with a sharp jab, shoving the boy forward until he smacked against a tree. Pulling back, he let Lemonce turn around properly. The boy looked up at him dully.

“I told you—what’s the point? You’ll catch and eat me anyway,” Lemonce replied. “So why bother? I’m just entertaining you and wearing myself out. This isn’t a trick. Just eat me, okay?”

“…Fine!” Turbo shrugged, snatching the cheeky brat up by his jacket collar. “I’m done listening to your babble, anyway. I’d rather listen to Sour Bill drone on and on.”

Just as lifted the brat over his teeth…the stupid kid spoke _again_!

“Might want to find something sweet to wash me down with,” Lemonce suggested.

Turbo paused, baffled. “…And why would that be?”

“I’m pretty sure I taste really sour,” the brunette replied. “So you might want to find something really sweet to down after I’m gone.”

Turbo glared at the brunette. “…Don’t tell me what to eat, kid,” he growled.

“I warned you,” Lemonce shrugged.

Turbo’s teeth snapped shut with a resounding **SNAP**. Lemonce was gone, shoved down his throat and effectively silenced. Turbo was disappointed to hear not one scream or cry from the boy. There was just silent resignation.

“How disappointi—UGH!!”

Turbo stumbled back, his mouth feeling like someone had punched him. A horrendous sour flavor suddenly reared up, coating his tongue and mouth almost instantly. The cybrid clawed at his tongue, coughing and spitting wildly.

“Holy mod, he wasn’t _kidding_! Ugh!” Turbo gagged, hands clutching his throat as he skittered away into the forest at a wickedly fast—and equally reckless—gait. “Oh _mod_! Where’s the fruit punch sea?! Ugh!”

.o.o.o.o.

…Should I say congratulations to Lemonce?

Oh, I guess I forgot to mention that I also briefly followed Adorabeezle here. Oopsie… Not that she was around for very long, but still…

As I said before, this calls for a unique rule in my survival guide. Let’s hope nobody else is dumb—or smart—enough to use it. It likely won’t ever come up again…hopefully…

**Rules of Survival #12: When our local giant monster is going to eat you, do not give it tips on how to proceed with the action…even if they are correct.**

And an extra rule that should hopefully benefit some racers…unless Turbo finds a way to protect himself against these effects.

**Rules of Survival #13: To those of you based around sour candies or frozen treats, take pride! Once you’re eaten, you’ll likely leave our local giant monster in a world of disgust and/or pain.**

…Yeah, they’ll benefit you…

…After you’ve been eaten…

Eheheh…?

This is Pepper Swirlminta, signing out!


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